


You Know What They Say About Assumptions

by SwanSongremix



Series: Murphy's Law [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha Poe Dameron, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attempt at Humor, BB-8 is a bird, Confused Rey, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Jealous Ben Solo, Misunderstandings, Omega Rey (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27027028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanSongremix/pseuds/SwanSongremix
Summary: ...They make an ass out of you and me“Anyway, Rose was super excited to introduce him to Rey. She couldn’t shut up about how well they would get along.”This ruffled Ben’s feathers a bit. As an alpha, he could admit he could get a little territorial over his mate. “Well, I hope they don’t get along too well,” he grumbled as he exited the truck.Finn and Poe stared after him in confusion. “Dude really doesn’t like birds,” Finn shrugged.A bird, a misunderstanding, and a very jealous alpha.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Murphy's Law [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654066
Comments: 9
Kudos: 168





	You Know What They Say About Assumptions

Rey blinked awake to early morning sun filtering in through the window, bathing their bed in golden light. She stretched her arms and glanced down at her mate. Ben was snoring softly with his head pillowed on her breasts. His dark hair fanned out around his face, and a little bit of drool had begun pooling out of his mouth. If she didn’t love him so much, she might have found it gross. But she had come to the conclusion long ago that she found everything about her alpha adorable.

She began tracing lines on his spine, savoring this blissful moment of domesticity. Rey loved having Saturdays off. They always meant lazy mornings and afternoons spent with the people she loved. She had plans later to have brunch with Rose (which is just a fancy way of saying “the lazy man’s breakfast,” if we’re being honest with ourselves). Meanwhile Ben, Finn, and Poe would be helping Finn’s grandmother move furniture into her new condo. She smiled, imagining the “PiVOt!!” scene in Friends. Ben was totally a Chandler.

“What’s so funny,” Ben mumbled from his place on her chest. His voice was rough with sleep, pitched at least two octaves lower than usual. He turned to peek up at her through his unruly mop of hair. 

“Imagining you morons dragging Maz’s couch up the stairs,” she giggled in response, then squealed when he began tickling her in retaliation.

He threw himself over her, framing her face with his forearms, and started peppering light kisses all over her face. Her chin, her eyelids, across her nose, anywhere he could reach. “That was very mean, Rey,” he purred. “You should make it up to me.” The smell of his arousal intensified around them. She loves his scent, like summer rain on warm grass. Earthy and comforting. But when he’s aroused like this, it transforms into a full blown thunderstorm. Exciting and unpredictable.

“Mmmm, what do you have in mind?” She smiled up at him, enjoying the look of love and lust in his expressive brown eyes.

“I can think of a few things,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her throat, where he leaves open mouthed kisses over her sensitive skin. Rey moaned as he nibbled at her mating mark, pleasure shooting straight to her core. His hands traveled down her sides and slipped under her ass, hitching her hips up to meet his.

In no time they’re both panting as they meet each other thrust for thrust. The smell of their combined arousal only fanning the flames of their desire. Soon, the pleasure crested, and Rey cried out as she felt Ben’s knot lock inside of her.

They both lay there, sweaty and sated, trying to catch their breaths. Ben rolled them so that Rey was resting on top of him while they waited out his knot. In her post orgasmic haze, Rey glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. She groaned loudly when she saw the time. “I’m gonna be late meeting Rose.”

“Tell her you got a little...tied up…” Rey looked up at him with her best bitch face. “Oh, come on! That was funny,” Ben giggled, like the little shit that he is.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she retorted.

***

“Where did you find him?” Rey asked while eyeing the colorful bird perched on Rose’s shoulder. Rey had opted to meet Rose at her place before heading to brunch. She was not at all prepared for the loud chirping of Rose and Finn’s new friend to greet her upon entry.

“He was Maz’s,” Rose stated. “Finn and I agreed to take him. She said it’s too much work in her old age to take care of him.”

The little lovebird eyed Rey from his perch, letting out a loud chirp. Rey smiled fondly and reached out to pet his head. He seemed to like it, leaning into the touch. “What’s his name?”

“Bob Burns, but I call him BB for short,” Rose grinned.

“I didn’t know Maz was a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan,” Rey laughed.

The two continued to coo at BB, the bird floofing out his orange feathers every now and then, getting comfortable with the affection. Rey had never owned a pet before, but she had always loved animals. Maybe she could talk Ben into getting a cat. Although he may not agree, considering how they met. But that’s a story for another time.

Rose gently put BB back into his little cage, checking his food and water before they departed for brunch. Overall, it was a lovely day. They decided to do a little window shopping afterwards, canvassing all of the little shops on main street. Rey bought a new sundress that showed just the right amount of skin, knowing it would drive Ben wild.

By the time she got home, she was tired but happy. It had been a minute since she had been able to spend time with Rose outside of work. It was nice to just be people for a day. 

***

Ben was walking up the ramp of the U-Haul when he heard Finn and Poe arguing.

“You’re just jealous I like Bob more than you,” Finn said smugly, bending to grab the other side of an old loveseat with hideous upholstery. 

“Oh, please. What’s Bob got to offer that I don’t?” Poe asked indignantly.

“Well, for one, he’s a better listener.” 

Ben’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Bob?”

“Oh, Finn and Rose’s new friend,” Poe said with an eye roll. “Who they, apparently, like more than me.”

Ben shrugged. “We like a lot of people more than you,” he joked. He reached over and picked up a lamp that looked like it came straight out of a seventies sitcom.

“Mean,” Poe pouted. 

“Don’t act like you don’t deserve it,” Finn smiled. “Anyway, Rose was super excited to introduce him to Rey. She couldn’t shut up about how well they would get along.”

This ruffled Ben’s feathers a bit. As an alpha, he could admit he could get a little territorial over his mate. “Well, I hope they don’t get along  _ too _ well,” he grumbled as he exited the truck. 

Finn and Poe stared after him in confusion. “Dude really doesn’t like birds,” Finn shrugged. They both proceeded to lug the ugly chair out of the truck.

***

Sweaty from a day of manual labor, Ben was happy to finally be home. As soon as he got in, he quickly stripped and headed for the bathroom, intending to take a cool shower. He smiled, thinking of Rey. He loved her to death, but the woman loved to shower in water hot enough to rival lava. But, she wasn’t here, and Ben had spent his afternoon staving off heat stroke while unloading the back of a hot truck filled with heavy, outdated furniture.

Finally feeling refreshed and halfway human again, Ben got out and slipped into a ratty pair of sweatpants. It wasn’t like there was anyone to impress. As he made his way out of the bathroom, he heard the sound of pans being moved around in the kitchen. He smiled, happy to know his mate was home safe.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as he meandered into the kitchen.

Rey’s head popped up over the counter, smiling when she saw him. “Hey, yourself,” she said flirtatiously. “How was the move? Maz settled in okay?”

“Yeah, it was fine,” he said. “I mean, I think I pulled something in my leg, Poe broke some antique figurines, and Maz threatened to disinherit Finn, but you know, otherwise a good day,” he laughed. 

“Not the little porcelain sheep?” Rey asked in horror.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking,” he replied sarcastically. “And, no. Some crystal thingy.” He walked to the fridge and grabbed a soda. He slowly lowered himself on to one of the chairs by the counter, his muscle twinging at the movement. “How was your day?”

Rey was moving gracefully around the kitchen, prepping what looked to be roasted chicken and veggies. “It was great. I feel like Rose and I haven’t just, like, hung out in forever. I’m glad we both finally had the same free day.”

“As if she doesn’t come over here right after every shift,” he laughed. He was glad his mate had a friend as close as Rose. And it was good that they both had a day to be people instead of being nurses.

Rey sighed in feigned annoyance. “You know what I mean,” she smiled. “Anyway, we had ‘brunch,’” she said using air quotes, “which was quite posh of us. Then we did a little window shopping...Oh, and I met Bob.”

“Oh, jeez,” Ben scoffed. “Finn and Poe were talking about him earlier. Finn said he liked him more than Poe.”

“To be fair, there’s a lot of people we all like more than Poe.”

Ben barked out a laugh, “That’s exactly what I said!” They both smiled at each other, giggling at their own antics.

“But, yeah. He was super sweet. I really like him,” she said sweetly.

Again, a small tingle of possessiveness slithered down Ben’s spine. He managed to tamp it down. There was no reason to be jealous. This was Rey. His mate, his best friend. He could trust her around other guys. “Well, I’m glad...Do you need any help with dinner?” He asked, hoping to change the subject.

“I don’t know, can you manage not to give yourself second degree burns?” She laughed when he flipped her off.

***

“--and then Bob gave her this look like ‘oh, honey. No.’ It was hilarious,” Rey recounted with a wide smile on her face.

Ben was doing his best not to start posturing like some knotheaded scumbag, but, lately, almost every story Rey told him was about Bob. He had never met the guy, but his mate was clearly becoming very close to him. It shouldn’t bother him this much, he knows that. But the way Rey smiles when she talks about him makes a small part of him sad. But, in true Ben fashion, instead of dealing with his feelings like a mature adult, he opted to shovel some more sour gummy worms into his mouth, lest he do something stupid like actually talk to his mate about what was bothering him.

“Ben?” Rey was giving him a quizzical look. He realized he must have zoned out. “What’s wrong? You smell sad,” she said with a small frown.

Ben sat up straighter, forcing a smile. “Nope, just zoned out a second there. You know me. Always...zonin’.”  _ Oh my God, she’s going to know I’m lying. _

“Ben, I know you’re lying,” Rey said with a pout. “Come on, what’s wrong? You only eat sour gummy worms when you’re upset. Did something happen at work? Was it Hux again?” She asked, voice going dark with anger. 

“No, no,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Nothing happened. Just got stuck in my head for a second there. And I don’t know, I’ve just been craving them lately.” 

“Promise?” She asked suspiciously.

“Promise,” he said with a small smile. 

“Good, because I wanna play Mario Kart later, and I can’t enjoy obliterating your sorry ass if you’re being all mopey.” Rey started laughing when he lunged at her. A ferocious tickle fight ensued, ending with Rey in a fireman’s carry as Ben carted her over to their bedroom. It was nights like these where Ben thanked his lucky stars that he got to have Rey. 

***

Ben was having a terrible day.

It was as if he had awoken with a storm cloud over his head. Rey had an overnight shift, meaning an empty bed and a pounding headache had greeted him upon consciousness. With bleary eyes and a migraine, he had stumbled his way to the bathroom to conduct his morning ablutions. In a haze, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and proceeded to spill half a bottle of mouthwash all over the counter. After cleaning his mess and cursing the universe, he trudged into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee, only to accidentally drop it and it’s hot contents all over the kitchen floor. In a haste, he grabbed a towel from the counter and tried to mop it up the best he could, only to cut his hand on one of the shards.

Hand haphazardly wrapped and tie on backwards, Ben had rushed to his car in an attempt to make it to work on time. Unfortunately, an accident downtown saw to it that Ben made it into the office twenty minutes late.

“Nice of you to join us, Solo,” came the smarmy voice of Armitage Hux. Ben had always hated that guy, and the last thing he needed today was the antagonistic beta’s attention.

“Traffic,” Ben grumbled in response.

After being berated by his boss, Amilyn, for a solid fifteen minutes, Ben made his way to his desk, only to realize that in all the chaos of the morning, he had forgotten his notes and spreadsheets. Growling under his breath, he made his way to the line for the copy machine in order to at least have his spreadsheets ready for today’s strategy meetings. 

Everything was putting him on edge; the sound of the copier, the chime of the elevators, the ache in his lower back. As he stood in line behind his coworkers, he did his best to control his emotions. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up embarrassing himself; whether in a fit of rage, or worse, crying in public.

_ Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it- _ bzzzzz.

He looked down at his phone and saw an incoming text from Rey

**< <Sunshine: Hey, going to Rose’s after my shift. I’ll be home late, don’t wait up!>>**

Ben nearly cried, right there in the middle of the office, surrounded by coworkers. He just wanted Rey. He wanted to go home, make a nice soft nest, and lay in it with Rey. Curl around her while she pet his hair and told him what a good boy he was. He wanted to bury his face in her neck where he could be drowned in the scent of home and love and safety. But she would be at Rose’s. And every time she went to Rose’s she inevitably ended up hanging out with Bob, too. It hurt Ben to think that his mate would rather spend more time with that Bob guy more than him. Was he doing something wrong? Was Rey bored of him? What could he do to make her excited to spend time with him again? The only way to resolve the issue would be to talk it out with Rey.

But because he was Ben Solo, he shoved those feelings deep down so that he wouldn’t have to deal with them. 

**< <Ben: Np ly>>**

The line moved forward.

***

Rey kept thinking about that text message.

Ben never abbreviated his text messages with her. He was very old fashioned, always used proper punctuation and grammar. Something was bothering him, she knew it. It could be work, like he had said. She knew he and Poe had a pretty important finance meeting coming up. Maybe he was just stressed? Maybe it was something else? The more she thought about it, she realized she hadn’t really seen him much lately. Between their respective careers, his gym schedule, and her increasing amount of time spent at Rose’s place to play with Bob, she hadn’t really set much time aside to be with Ben.

It was time to rectify that.

She shot a text to Rose after her shift, letting her friend know that she would not be going over that evening. She checked the time. Ben should be getting home from the gym right about now. The perfect time to surprise him with her presence.  _ And isn’t that depressing,  _ she thought. She was mad at herself for neglecting her mate so much, but she decided that she would do better in the future. 

“Rey?” Ben’s voice called from the living room.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she replied. She toed off her shoes and headed towards her alpha.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Ben’s head swivel from where he was seated on the couch, his hair damp from when he must have showered. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Rose’s?” He asked in confusion.

“I was, but I figured, you know, I haven’t seen too much of you lately and...I missed you,” she said with a small smile. She walked around the couch to sit next to her mate when she glanced down to the bright turquoise bag in his lap. “What the hell are you eating?”

Ben looked down at his snack and back at Rey. “Corn nuts...I was craving something salty.”

“Yeah, but really? Ranch? You couldn’t have chosen a flavor with a less offensive smell?” She scrunched her nose to emphasize her point.

“I like what I like,” he shrugged defensively. Then he looked at her with apologetic eyes. “And I missed you, too. But if you wanted to hang out with your friends, that’s fine. Don’t ever let me stop you from having a life.”

“I know, I know,” she sighed. “But, I really do miss you.” Rey reached out to pet his arm, smiling at her mate. “Besides, I can see Bob any time.”

Beside her, Ben tensed. “Any time. Right,” he said, voice flat. He quickly stood, rolling up his half eaten bag of corn nuts and heading for the kitchen.

Startled by the sudden change in tone, Rey watched him leave. “Ben, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” Ben said, too quickly. He ran his hands through his hair in that anxious way of his, letting Rey know that it was not ‘nothing.’

“It’s not nothing. Tell me what’s wrong,” she demanded.

Ben turned to face her, a conflicted look settling on his face. “I just- I’m. Mmm. Okay,” Ben sighed. “It’s just...I don’t want to hear about Bob. You talk about him non stop, and it’s kinda starting to annoy me.”

“Oh…” Rey said. That wasn’t what she was expecting. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

Ben sighed again, deeper this time. “Sweetheart, it’s fine. I’m the one who should be sorry,” he said, stepping toward her. He reached for her hands, cradling them in his much larger ones. “I feel guilty about it, I do. Because I know you really like him, but I hate hearing you talk about him so much.” Ben looked down at his feet, clearly embarrassed by this revelation.

She retracted one hand and raised it towards his chin, lifting his face so that she could look him in the eye. “Alright, I’ll stop. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it upset you so much,” she said earnestly.

He fixed those big, brown, puppy dog eyes on her. “It’s okay. Thank you for understanding.”

“I love you,” she said, smiling and stroking his cheek.

“I love you, too.”

***

Poe Dameron had known his best friend since childhood. He knew his favorite pizza toppings, his favorite movies, and he knew which hockey team he loathed the most. And right now, Poe knew that his favorite dumbass was about to go into rut.

How Ben himself had made it this far in life without keeping track of his own mating cycle, he had no clue. Unlike most alphas, Ben rarely became aggressive while in rut. Instead he became jittery and anxious. Sometimes downright paranoid. On more than one occasion, he had been teary eyed and whiny; more like a toddler than a full grown alpha. Currently, the big moron was waffling his way through a finance meeting while sweat dotted his brow and the heavy scent of oncoming rut was making everyone at the table squirm. It would be funny if Poe wasn’t worried that his friend was going to get his ass fired.

“And because of that, the um...Um hold on, I’ve got it-” Poe watched in secondhand embarrassment as Ben scattered his papers and dropped a file to the floor.

As Ben fumbled to pick up the fallen pages, Poe slowly stood from his seat. “Hey, buddy,” he said gently. “Why don’t we take a minute? Yeah?” He carefully crouched next to Ben to help him gather the papers.

“What?” Ben said quickly. “No, it’s fine I just have to grab the-”

“Ben,” Poe cut him off, “I think it’s best if we step out for a bit. Amilyn,” he turned to their boss, willing the other alpha to realize what was happening, “you understand, right?”

Amilyn squinted at the pair on the floor. Poe watched in amusement as understanding dawned on their boss’s face. “Oh, yes! Of course.”

Ben stopped moving and stared wide-eyed at Amilyn. “But-”

“No ‘but.’ Go with Poe, I’ll handle this,” she said as she stood. She came around the table and grabbed Poe by the arm, leaning in to whisper, “Get him home, last thing we need is him going into a rage in the middle of the office.”

“Will do, boss,” Poe said as he mock saluted. He turned to Ben. “Alright, buddy. C’mon.”

“Where are we going?” Ben asked as he blindly followed Poe into the hallway.

“You and I are going home.”

“What? But, what about the meeting? And my-”

Time to pull out the big guns. “Don’t you want to see Rey?” 

“Rey,” Ben whispered as his eyes went glassy. That’s right, a rutting alpha’s brain can only focus on one thing: its mate.

“That’s right,” Poe coaxed as he led Ben into the elevator. “Don’t you want to go home and make a nice nest for your omega?” As the doors slid shut, Poe hit the button that would take them to the parking garage. He would have to drive Ben, as his friend was in no state to be operating heavy machinery.

Ben nodded dumbly. “I can make a nest.” He looked so determined.

“I’m sure you can. And I’m sure Rey will love it.”

“Rey,” Ben said dreamily, a dopey smile forming on his face.

“That’s right,” Poe placated as he ushered his friend into the car. Hooking his phone up to bluetooth, he dialled Rey as he made his way towards the couples’ home. 

***

Since meeting BB, Rey had become enamored with the little bird. Whether it was a side effect of never having owned a pet of her own, or the creature’s endearing personality, Rey couldn’t say. All she knew was that visiting Rose’s apartment was becoming one of her favorite things to do, if only to visit her little buddy.

She was sitting with Finn and Rose on their couch, BB perched happily on her arm.

“I don’t get why you don’t just get a pet,” Rose questioned.

Rey sighed. “Well, I want to, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, it’s just...every time I bring up Bob, Ben seems upset. I don’t know if he just doesn’t like birds or if he doesn’t like pets in general. And I don’t exactly want to spring a pet on him without talking to him about it. But, like I said, every time I try to bring it up, he seems, I don’t know? Agitated?” Rey’s brow creased. Maybe Ben just wasn’t a pet person.

“You know,” Finn piped up, “he did have an attitude when Poe and I were talking about Bob back when we were moving Maz. I think it’s just a bird thing. I’ve never known Ben to dislike animals, I mean that’s how he met  _ you _ ,” Finn grinned.

“Maybe you should just talk to him,” Rose suggested. She reached forward to stroke BB’s feathered head. 

“Maybe,” Rey shrugged. She continued to pet the little bird until she felt her phone buzz. She glanced down only to see it was an incoming call from Poe. That was odd. Last she checked, he and Ben should still be in that meeting Ben had been stressing over. She quickly picked up the phone, curious as to why Poe would be calling. “Hello?”

“Hey, Rey,” Poe said cheerily.

“Rey!?” She heard Ben’s voice in the background.

“Yeah, buddy. It’s Rey,” Poe addressed her mate. “So, your alpha here went into rut at the office so I’m taking him to your place.”

“What?!” Rey tapped her phone and checked her calendar. “He’s not due for another week!” All that stress he’d been under must have triggered it.

“Omega! I love you. Love you so much, Rey. I’m gonna make a nest. A soft nest. You’ll love it. I love you,” Ben cooed in the background.

She couldn’t help but giggle at her mate’s babbling. He must be further along than she first assumed. “Hi, baby. I love you, too.”

“I know,” she heard Ben sigh happily.

“Gross. Anyway, we’re pulling up to your place now, so let us in,” Poe said.

“Oh, I can’t. I’m at Rose’s. I’ll be there in like five minutes, just make sure he drinks some water. Blankets are in the hall closet so he can nest.”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye on him until you get here.”

***

“Okay, be there in a bit.” There was a bit of shuffling on her end of the line and then a muffled, “Bye Rose, bye Bob,” before the call disconnected. Suddenly, the car was filled with the sound of a deep, animalistic growl. Poe turned to see his best friend, so calm only a moment ago, growling and tearing his way out of the car. Poe’s own alpha instincts reared their ugly head in response to his friend’s aggression.

“Ben! Hey, calm down!”

“No! I’m gonna kill him!” Ben slammed the door and tore off down the street.

“Fuck!” Poe cursed as he made to stop him. It was a close call, but Poe managed to tackle Ben to the concrete before he even made it around the corner. Ben roared in anger, twisting to retaliate the attack. Poe straddled him and pinned the other alpha’s arms above his head. “Ben! Hey! You need to calm down, okay? Stop struggling. Ben! Snap out of it and listen to me!” Poe roared, alpha command bleeding into his voice. “Stop!”

That was the wrong move. _ Rut-Ben _ did not take kindly to being ordered around, not where his omega was concerned. In a move Poe would have been impressed with had he not been on the receiving end, Ben managed to twist them so Poe was beneath him and held in a headlock. “You can’t have her! He can’t have her!” Ben roared.

***

One moment, Ben was happily fantasizing about his mate, and the next his vision was tinted red. Hearing his mate’s beautiful voice say that wretched name threw Ben’s alpha into overdrive. He didn’t even remember leaving the car. His legs pumped as hard as they could, propelling him towards his mate. His mate who he needed more than he needed air in his lungs. His mate who was with another man. A man he did not know. A man that threatened the life Ben had built for himself with his mate. If she left him, Ben was convinced he would die. If the broken bond didn’t kill him, his broken heart would. This wasn’t about jealousy. No, in Ben’s rut-addled mind, this was about survival.

_ Omega is not here. Omega is with him. Kill him! Protect omega! _

He was almost to the corner when a force took him down from behind. He and Poe wrestled for a bit, Ben having enough sense left not to try to maim his best friend. Unfortunately, the moment Poe used his alpha voice, all bets were off.

_ Another alpha is challenging you. He doesn’t want you to have omega. He must want omega! Kill him! Protect omega! _

“You can’t have her! He can’t have her!” Ben roared. He had never experienced this level of fury. He felt like a rabid beast, a simple minded animal.

“Who...is…’he?’” Poe choked out, scrabbling at the arms around his neck.

_ He’s trying to distract you. _ Ben snarled. “She’s mine! No one else can have her!”

Unexpectedly, Poe managed to twist in the headlock and land two solid kicks; one to Ben’s side and one straight to the groin.

Grunting in pain, Ben rolled off of Poe, cradling his abused dick. Huffing in frustration and exertion, Poe scrambled away, staring down at his friend. “Oooooh, I think you broke my dick,” Ben moaned.

“Serves you right,” Poe panted. “Are you with me now?” Ben gave a whimper and a nod. “Good, good. Now what the actual fuck was that all about? I haven’t seen you in a rage like that since eighth grade!”

Without warning, Ben burst into tears. His rut had truly caught up with him now, and the mood swings were throwing him all out of sorts. One moment he’s ready to commit murder and now he’s curled on his side, crying into the sidewalk. “She’s gonna leave me!” He wailed. “She-”  _ sniff _ “-is always with him, and I love h-h-her, but she’s not here, and I nee-e-e-d her, Poe!”  _ sniff _ .

“Hey. Hey, hey, hey. No one’s leaving anyone. Buddy, listen to me,” Poe said as he crouched to his friend’s side, “Rey’s on her way right now.” Ben felt his friend put his hand on his shoulder as more sobs tore from his throat.

“She’s not here!” Tears had effectively blurred his vision and snot was running out of his nose. He was not a pretty sight, and that knowledge only made him cry harder. “She’s not here and I need h-h-her and you broke my di-i-ick! Now she’ll never want me!”

“Ben, Rey loves you. You know this. This is just your rut talking. How about we get you inside, hmm? I promised Rey I’d make sure you’re hydrated. Can’t do that if you’re crying on the sidewalk.” Poe tried nudging his friend up, but it wasn’t working. At the end of the day, Ben was built like a fridge, and, alpha or not, Poe had no hope of lifting him by himself.

The sudden sound of tires screeching on asphalt jarred both alphas. An old chevy pickup had stopped next to the pair, and jumping from the cab was none other than Ben Solo’s omega. “What the hell is going on?!” Rey cried, rushing toward Ben.

***

Rey had tried her best not to break any traffic laws as she frantically rushed home.  _ Poor Ben _ . Thinking back, Rey realized she had missed all of the signs of his rut. The mood swings, the cravings. Hell, he had even tossed a new throw blanket into the cart the last time they went grocery shopping. She had checked and rechecked the calendar, but as far as she knew, they still had time before they needed to make cycle arrangements.

Feeling like the crappiest mate ever, Rey turned the corner onto their street, only to immediately slam on the brakes when she took in the sight before her. On the ground, her alpha was curled on his side with Poe seated beside him, rubbing his back. Face splotchy and tear stained, she watched in horror as her big alpha sobbed like an infant into the pavement. 

_ What the hell? _

She threw the truck into park and jumped from the cab. “What the hell is going on?!” Rey cried, rushing toward Ben. Her mate let out a pitiful whimper as she fell to her knees in front of him.

“Omega!” He cried, his arms reaching to wrap around her waist. He nuzzled his face into her stomach. She felt his shoulders shake as fresh tears coursed down his cheeks. Her hands trembled when she reached to pet his hair. Pushing it out of his face, she saw a cut on his eyebrow. Concerned she took in the both of them and realized that each of them were sporting quite a few abrasions.

Ben made a choked sound into her lap as she assessed the situation. She reverted back to stroking his head and shoulders. “Shhh, shh love,” she cooed. She looked up to Poe, her brows drawing in anger. “What the hell happened?”

Poe threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I don’t fucking know! We were in the car, and next thing I know, he’s bolting down the street. He was in a rage, yelling about killing someone, so I tried to stop him before someone called the cops! And...I may have...kinda kicked him in the dick...”

“You did  _ what!? _ ” She reached towards Ben’s crotch, then stopped herself when she heard her mate whimper.

“It was totally in self defense, I swear. And it snapped him out of it, so it served a purpose,” Poe tried to reason.

Confused and worried, Rey looked back down at Ben. “Ben? Baby, what happened? You were fine on the phone?” A muffled noise came from her lap. “What was that?”

Ben slowly turned his face to look up at her, arms still firmly around her waist. “I said-”  _ sniff  _ “-that I’m sorry,” Ben sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I love you, Rey. I love you so mu-u-uch!”

“Shhh, it’s okay. It’s alright,” She soothed.

“No, it’s not!” Ben cried louder. “Please don’t leave me. I can’t- it won’t- please!”

“What?” Rey asked, shocked. “Why would you think I would leave you?”

Ben made another pained noise. “Because of him!” 

Rey glanced at Poe. “Because of Poe? Ben, as much as I’d like to get rid of him, I knew you two were a packaged deal when I signed the mating certificate.”

“Hey!” Poe shouted indignantly.

“No not him,” Ben said, shaking his head, “Bob!”

Rey’s eyebrows scrunched together. “ _ Bob? _ What does he have to do with anything?”

“Please don’t pretend, Rey. I know how close you two have gotten. And I know I can be an asshole, and I always forget to put the dishes away, but I love you so, so much. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. And I’m scared that one day you’ll realize that I’m not worth it and you’ll leave, and you’ll have Bob and I’ll have no one because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to love someone who isn’t you, Rey!”

“Ben,” Rey said gently, “it’s going to take a lot more than some stray dishes for me to ever even think of leaving you. And besides, Bob is Rose and Finn’s, not mine.”

At that, Ben’s whole face twisted in confusion. “What?”

“Yeah, I mean it would be nice to have my own bird, or even a cat, but I wouldn’t want a pet unless I had one with you,” Rey said with a small smile.

This only seemed to upset him more. “Wha- bird? Pet? Rey, what are you talking about?”

Rey glanced at Poe and saw a look of confusion that mirrored her own. “I’m just saying that if this is about you not wanting to get a pet, I’m just letting you know that it’s not a deal breaker. But, should you change your mind, I would only want one with you.”

“We’re not talking about pets, Rey, we’re talking about Bob?” Ben said, perplexed.

“Yeah...the bird,” said Rey, not following Ben’s logic. 

“The what now?”

A loud bark of laughter startled the couple. Rey looked to Poe who was clutching his stomach as he continued to giggle. “Hold on, hold on, hold on! Ben, are you saying you didn’t know Bob was a bird?!”

“What?” Rey queried. She looked down at her mate and watched as a fierce blush swept over his features.

“Um….no?” Ben said, baffled.

“Oh my God!” Poe laughed, slapping his knee. “Oh man, I’m so gonna tell Finn about this. That is hilarious!”

Ben slowly sat up, wiping tears from his cheeks. “Wait, so….Bob is….”

“A bird,” Rey finished. 

“How the fuck did you not know that!” Poe chortled.

Ben threw his hands up, indignant. “I don’t know! No one ever said anything that made me think he wasn’t human!”

Rey was still staring at him, trying to comprehend the last five minutes. Hell, the last month. “So, all this time, you thought...What? That I’d been hanging out with some dude?”

Ben looked at her sheepishly. “Well...yeah. I mean, who the hell names a bird ‘Bob?!’”

“Maz!” Rey shouted. “It was her bird. She named him Bob Burns, but Rose calls him BB.”

“Are you guys fucking with me? Is this a prank? Because if it is, it isn’t funny,” Ben said.

Poe, still quietly laughing, wiped a tear from his eye. “This isn’t a prank, numb-nuts. But your life is officially a joke. I mean, you thought your mate was gonna cheat on you with a bird!”

Rey’s brows drew together. “You thought I was going to cheat on you?” Is that what he thought? Did he really think so low of her?

“No, I know you wouldn’t do that.,” Ben said, shaking his head. “I trust you, Rey. You’re not a monster. But I thought, you know, since you’d been hanging out with him more and more, that soon you might consider leaving me if, you, you know. Realized I wasn’t doin’ it for you and...Bob...was,” he said uncomfortably. “And I would have let you go, because you deserve to be happy, even if it’s not with me,” he finished sadly, head lowered in shame.

Rey’s heart broke hearing her alpha speak such horrible words. “Ben. Alpha, look at me.” She reached out and tilted his chin up. “You’re it for me,” she said emphatically. “You said you loved me more than anything. Well, guess what? Ditto. Are you an asshole? Yes. Does it annoy me when you steal the last Pop-Tart? Yes. But, when it comes down to it, I love you. Period. You’re the one I want to come home to. You’re the only one I want to share my life with. Romantically, I mean.”

New tears began flowing down her alpha’s face. “I’m so sorry, Rey. I should have said something earlier, but I had so much going on and I thought I was just being silly. That’s why I didn’t say anything. But, then my rut started and you said his name while I was thinking of nesting and I let my alpha lose control.”

“It’s okay,” she reassured. “It’s just biology.” She reached to pull him toward her, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. “But, when it’s over and you’re thinking rationally again, you and I are gonna have a long conversation about this. Okay?” She looked at him sternly.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a tiny grin.

“Well!” Poe slapped both hands on his knees as he made to get up. “This has been enlightening. Ben, you’re a bigger dumbass than I thought. Rey, you deserve an award for putting up with him.” All of them chuckled at that. “You two good if I go?”

Rey nodded, saying, “Yeah, I got it from here. Thanks, Poe.”

“Anytime, sunshine.” Poe smiled and headed back towards their home and his car.

“Alright, big guy,” she said as she turned to nudge Ben to his feet. “Let’s get you inside.”

“I love you,” Ben said, looking at her as if she hung the moon. His eyes had started to glaze over and the smell of his rut was beginning to become more prominent.

“I love you, too,” she said, ushering him towards their home. She would have to call into work. She ran a tally in her head, making sure they had enough food and water for the three day sex marathon they were about to go through. She led them through their front door, turning to lock it behind her. She had just latched it when she felt strong arms wrap around her and lift her off the ground. “Wha-Ben!”

“Nest,” he grunted, turning to stomp towards the bedroom.

_ Showtime _ , she thought, a grin spreading from her lips. “Alright, alpha,” she sighed, relaxing into his hold.

**Author's Note:**

> *Crawls out of my cave to throw this fic at you* Enjoy!


End file.
